vxbush 8/31/2026 6:59:42 AM

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I'm going to repost this article that I shared Saturday for hopefully wider reading: 

AI, politics, Thomas Sowell, and computer science—oh, my! 

Kosh's Shadow 8/31/2026 7:58:13 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 1:

The article is interesting and makes good points - unconstrained people think constraints can be removed or aren't real. They live in the world they want, not the real world.
And I think if AI destroys the world it will be because people act on its slop.

vxbush 8/31/2026 8:46:07 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 2:

Thanks for the reply and for copying it from Saturday. I'm curious what JCM might think of this. It's a different way of framing the left vs. right issue. 

Kosh's Shadow 8/31/2026 9:49:24 AM

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Primary election tomorrow. FINALLY found the ballots so I could look up the candates.

I can choose the primary I want to vote in

For Republican, there is one contested race, governor, with one Republican and a fake RINO - a donkey with a horn.

Democrat, two contested - senate - Ed Markey vs Seth Moulton. Neither great on the issues, but Markey has been endorsed by Bernie, AOC, etc, which means Moulton isn't as bad.

And DA - my wife knows one of the candidates running, and he is Jewish and has a daughter in, I believe, college, so he knows how Jewish students are treated.

Given the state is likely to re-elect Healey and not likely to vote for either Republican, I'll pick the Democrat ballot.

JCM 8/31/2026 10:53:05 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 3:

*Blushing* 

This sentence stuck out.

It means being ruthlessly pragmatic while understanding that ideals encode constraints too subtle to see over short periods of time. It means having a deep respect for the wisdom of the past, along with a willingness to see what is genuinely different about today.

Which is a reiteration of Chesterton's Fence. Know why a "fence" or "constraint" is in place. BEFORE it's torn down. It is a different phrasing, the essential the same conclusions. Two far "right" and we don't examine if the need for the fence is real, two far left and all fences imped progress.

I like the idea of "ruthless pragmatism". As to AI it's just another tool a lot of unknowns. The politicians who are attempting to regulate it don't know squat about therefore any regulation will be at best useless or worse.